Ottawa picks e-scooter providers for 2021 season, says safety is the focus

The City of Ottawa has chosen the three e-scooter providers that will deploy their fleets on the capital’s streets this summer.

The city’s competitive procurement process chose Bird Canada, Lime and Neuron to provide dockless e-scooters for the city in 2021.

An expanded central service area will see 1,200 e-scooters total in Ottawa this summer, twice the number from 2020.

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There’s no word yet on when the scooters will hit the streets. The city said it’s working with Ottawa Public Health and other municipal departments to determine a launch date.

The city said its second year of the e-scooter pilot is focused on reducing sidewalk riding and improper parking — two major concerns for accessibility advocates.

In another nod towards safety, Neuron, a newcomer to Ottawa’s e-scooter market, includes a built-in helmet on each ride. Helmets are recommended for all riders but are mandatory for anyone under the age of 18.

Both Bird Canada and Lime are returning operators from the inaugural year of Ottawa e-scooters, while Roll, the third provider in 2020, will not return in 2021.

E-scooters have received a mixed reception in cities across Canada, with some embracing the mobility tech and others outright banning it.

Ontario moved to allow municipalities to experiment with e-scooters through a five-year program starting in 2020, but Toronto city council voted last week to uphold its ban on e-scooters over accessibility and safety concerns.

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Ottawa’s transportation committee heard from accessibility advocates earlier this year about their concerns from the first season of e-scooters in the capital, but councillors said they were satisfied with promises they’d heard from operators about improved service should the local pilot be renewed.

The dockless scooters will be rentable via mobile apps from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. when the season launches in Ottawa this year.

E-scooters must be parked between sidewalks and curbs — the “furniture” zone — within a geofenced area.